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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bound — certain
  3. last — final
  4. march — music
  5. rest — what's left
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. pound — a weight
  8. craft — boats
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. last — finally
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. march — the month
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. rest — a break
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. march — the month
  22. deal — to handle
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. craft — a skill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com